


Precipice Bonus Content

by shadowsong26



Series: Precipice Verse [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: AU, AU - the twins are raised differently, Alternate Universe - Anakin doesn't fall, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin raises Leia, F/M, Gen, Multi, Other, Padme raises Luke, Referenced/backstory violence, referenced/backstory genocide, since now there's one with Lavinia and Palpatine interacting on-page, warning for child abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-03-03 00:14:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13329420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsong26/pseuds/shadowsong26
Summary: Bonus fics and other snippets in thePrecipiceuniverse, crossposted frommy writing Tumblr.





	1. Bonus Fic #1: Untitled (Father's Day 2017)

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was asked to post the bonus fics/etc. I've put up on my Tumblr here on AO3 as well, and here it is!
> 
> A couple things I want to note--these are not in any kind of chronological order, but are more or less in the order I posted them. I'll try and give some kind of timeline note for all of them as well. I try not to put any earth-shattering revelations or Major Plot/Character Details in these, they're mostly just fun little asides, etc. Unless otherwise noted, though, they are canon, so to speak, to this universe. Any future content will probably get crossposted here a few days after I put it up on Tumblr.
> 
> Also, I'm putting the same rating/warning tags as for the main fic for consistency's sake, though the actual content ranges anywhere from G to M and so far none of it has been particularly violent (though some of it has been the immediate aftermath of some of the more violent parts of the main story).
> 
> Character/relationship tags will be adjusted as we go along.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a cute, quiet little moment when Leia’s around seven or eight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place probably shortly before the beginning of Part Five--possibly even _right_ before it, i.e., a day or two before the first chapter of said arc.
> 
> Written for Father's Day 2017.

The first sun was just starting to drift over the horizon when Anakin felt a small, warm weight settle into his side.

He smiled and leaned over to kiss the top of Leia’s head. “Morning, princess,” he said. “You’re up early.”

She shrugged, and curled closer. “What time did you get home?”

“Couple hours ago,” he said. And he probably  _should_  have tried to get some sleep–-Rex had done that, soon as they were off the  _Waterfall,_  and made a very pointed comment to that effect as he did–-but he’d been too wired after their last mission. Plus, he wanted to see his daughter first, which meant waiting ‘til she was up.

She nodded. “Everything go okay? You hit the bad guys for me?”

He laughed a little, and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Always, princess.”

“And  _you’re_  okay?”

“Yes, dear,” he said. And he was.

…this time, anyway.

“Well, I gotta  _ask.”_

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You’ve been good?”

She peeked up at him with her widest, most innocent brown eyes, the ones that usually made it very, very hard for him to deny her anything. “Always, Daddy.”

In context, however…

“Uh-huh,” he said, disbelieving. “And what’s Aunt Beru gonna say when I ask her?”

“Same thing,” Leia said, just a little too quickly.

 _She is_ way  _too much like me._  Anakin had more sympathy for Obi-Wan every day.

“Really?”

“Really really.”

He arched one eyebrow at her. That was usually enough.

And, yep, she gave in, looking down at her feet. “Biggs’s dad got a new slugthrower so we borrowed the old one and went out to the canyon to shoot rocks.”

 _…well, if she_ had _to sneak out, at least she was armed._

He sighed. “Don’t sneak out, princess, okay? We need to know where you are. It gets dangerous out there.”

“I  _know_ ,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I  _live_  here.”

“I  _mean_ it. And–look, if you  _really_  want to practice shooting, talk to Uncle Rex. I’m sure he could show you some cool tricks, if you asked him very, very nicely.” Better to do that kind of thing with someone who knew what they were doing supervising, anyway.

Of course, doing things the proper,  _safe_  way wasn’t  _nearly_  as much fun. He remembered being her age well enough to know that.

…well, to be totally fair, he  _still_  hadn’t been totally convinced otherwise. A little risk made accomplishing something somehow more satisfying. But just because it worked for  _him_  didn’t mean he liked it when his  _daughter_  followed his example.

“Okay,” she said, then looked up at him. “I was better’n the others.”

“I’ll bet you were,” he said, ruffling her hair a little.

She grinned. “I hit the same place four times in a row. No one  _else_  did that. Biggs only got two.”

“Very impressive,” he said. Especially with an old slugthrower she’d never tried shooting before.

…he  _hoped_  she’d never tried shooting it before. At least not by herself.

“Why don’t we go out to the canyon later, after Rex is up?” he said. “You can show us just how good you are.”

She brightened, and leaned into him again, to watch the sunrise. “That’ll be totally wizard,” she declared.

“Yes,” he said, holding her close and closing his yes. “Yes, it will.”


	2. Bonus Fic #2: Margins (100k)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time when Ahsoka _almost_ made contact with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set during Part Three, and references specific events that were shown in the main body of the fic.
> 
> Written to commemorate the fact that the fic was officially 100k words long.

Ahsoka had been busy the past few years, ever since she had felt the world collapse all around her; staying on the move and fighting the evil spreading throughout the galaxy as much as she could by herself.

It wasn’t easy. There were days when she felt like she wasn’t making any progress at all; just whittling away at the edges of the Empire, or sometimes tangling with the Hutts or Black Sun without making much of an impact on their overall spread.

And it was  _lonely._  Not that she was  _completely_  isolated, exactly. She met wonderful people; people that, in less dangerous times, she might have called her friends. But she always had to move on eventually, and it wasn’t the same as what she’d had before.

(Sometimes, she dreamed about Anakin or Obi-Wan, and woke up  _convinced_  that it hadn’t been just a memory; that one or both of them had somehow, miraculously  _survived._  But the feeling always faded. It was probably just…just wishful thinking.)

So, that had become her life; she found a small local crisis somewhere she could help resolve, innocent people in danger either form the Empire or any other evil, and stayed as long as she was needed before quietly slipping away and moving on to the next planet in danger, the next fight to be won, the next person she could protect.

And, while she knew what she was doing, even if it was small-scale, was important,  _vital,_  a part of her still felt like she could be doing more. The problem was, she had no idea where to even  _start._  She was too far out on the fringes to get anything close to a big picture view. She did what she could, and that was almost enough.

But then—but then, when she’d been scanning the news sites, looking for her next self-assigned mission, she’d found out that there had been an insurgent attack, a bombing, at a mine on Vydrex IX.

And that Senator Padme Amidala had been sent to oversee the relief and reconstruction efforts.

Ahsoka read the brief press release two or three more times, not quite daring to believe it at first. Because the one person she had known  _for_   _sure_  was still alive was  _Padme._  And since she was alive, she was fighting back in whatever way she could; Ahsoka knew that. So if Ahsoka could find a way to reach out—

Of course, up until now, that had probably meant going back to Coruscant, where chances were she’d be caught and killed, and maybe put Padme in danger, too. And Naboo wouldn’t be much better.

But Vydrex IX might just change everything.

True, the news was a little over a week old, but this type of relief effort took time.  _Maybe_  she was still there. Ahsoka scrambled to pull up everything she could find on the planet, to make sure it  _was_  a safe place to try and make contact.

It turned out to be a small, damp planet in the Outer Rim, only notable for the rich mineral veins on one of its moons; the population was mixed and transient enough that a lone Togruta wanderer wouldn’t stand out too much. Given the remote location, for all Padme would be playing a very visible role there, the risk involved was  _spectacularly_  less than it ever had been before. All Ahsoka would have to do was get a note to one of the handmaidens and—

And then she’d have a framework to operate in. And then she wouldn’t be so  _alone_  anymore.

The only real problem was that it  _was_  a bit of a hike from her current location. On the other hand, using some tricks Anakin had taught her (along with a shortcut or two she’d learned all on her own), she could make it there in two standard days, tops. Feeling brighter than she had in weeks, she scrambled to get the nav computer set and was underway in record time.

She got there  _four hours_  after Padme and her staff had left.

For a moment, it failed to sink in; and then an overwhelming wave of bitter disappointment and renewed grief burned through her. And it was mostly her own fault—she’d gotten her hopes up, sky-high, even though she’d  _known_  from the start that her chances of pulling this off were pretty slim.

But she’d been so  _close,_  just hours away from seeing her  _friend_ again; the one living person who had known and loved the people  _she_  had known and loved. Hours away from making contact with the one living person in the galaxy she was absolutely sure she could trust.

It was all but impossible  _not_  to be a little heartbroken when she fell short.

She let that moment happen—she’d learned, over the past couple years, that she did better when she took a few minutes each day and just let herself grieve. It helped her keep it in check, when she couldn’t release it entirely, and avoid having it burst out and distract or overwhelm her when she couldn’t afford it.

_It’ll be okay,_  she told herself, when the moment finally passed.  _If Padme did this once, she’ll end up doing it again, right? Even leaving aside other bombings or whatever, there are seismic events and other natural disasters she might volunteer for. I just have to be patient, keep an eye out, and get there faster next time._

It wasn’t much, but it was enough, at least for now, to rekindle her hopes.

She took a breath, and let the last traces of her disappointment fade into the Force around her, then picked herself up and turned resolutely to the horizon. She  _would_  hear about Padme again, even if it took another two or three years. She was sure of that.

In the meantime, though, her path was still laid out before here. There were still people she could fight for, scattered throughout the galaxy. Little victories, sure, but like pebbles piled up behind her, they added up. She  _could_  do more, maybe, if she had the knowledge and the resources, but she  _was_  still doing important things. She  _was_  still making a difference.

And at least one of her friends was still alive, and was reachable, even if only rarely.  _Next_  time that happened, Ahsoka would get there in time, and be able to see Padme again.

But until then, she still had work to do.


	3. Bonus Fic #3: Secrets (One Year Anniversary)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin and Obi-Wan discuss Leia’s dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during the timeskip between Part Three and Part Four.
> 
> Written to commemorate _Precipice_ lasting for a whole entire year.

“Am I doing the right thing?” Anakin asked, very quietly.

Obi-Wan blinked and glanced over at him. Leia was asleep in his lap, and he was running a hand over her hair, very, very gently; as if he were still afraid she would break. Just as he’d found them, when he’d come outside to join them about a half-hour ago, shortly after both suns had set.

“I’m not sure exactly what you mean,” he said, after a moment.

“She dreams about…about them,” he said. He blinked up at the wide, open sky. “About—well, okay, I don’t know if it’s about  _them,_ exactly, but…but she dreams about Coruscant. And I think Naboo. She told me.”

“Ah.” Obi-Wan paused, watching the two of them. She seemed so…content, with one of her tiny hands still tangled in his robe. As she always did, when her father was close. And he normally did as well, when he was holding her, but tonight, apart from his very gentle hands, he seemed tense. And given the topic of conversation…

“You’re concerned about keeping them from her?”

He nodded. “I mean…I know I never liked it when people—when people didn’t tell me things.”

_I remember._

“And she’s…I don’t want her to hate me for it later.”

“She won’t,” Obi-Wan assured him. “Anakin, I promise you, she won’t. She’ll be…I’m not saying she won’t be upset at all, at least at first, but…”

“Yeah,” he said. He looked down at her again; his hand stopped moving. “I just…I never wanted to do anything she’d have to  _forgive_ me for, though. And I know…I know no one’s perfect, and even the best parents make mistakes and I  _know_  we’re going to fight when she’s a teenager. We’re way too much alike for anything else. But…but that’s different from…from this. And I don’t…I don’t like  _lying_  to her, Obi-Wan. Even by omission.”

“None of us do,” he said.

“I know,” he said. “I know.” He sighed, and resumed petting her hair. He was quiet for a moment, before adding, “And…and when she told me about the…about the dreams, at first, I thought…” His voice broke a little.

“You remembered the…the dreams you used to have?” he asked, when Anakin didn’t go on. Involuntarily, his eyes flickered over towards the small cluster of graves; not quite visible in the moonlight.

He nodded. “But she told me they weren’t  _bad_  dreams. So…so there’s that, at least.”

“There is that,” Obi-Wan agreed, softly.  _For which we are_ all  _profoundly grateful, I think. Above and beyond the—the obvious, that was a terrible enough burden for a near-adult man to bear. To inflict that on a four-year-old child…_

Anakin sighed. “…I wonder if Luke dreams about us,” he said, after a minute.

“He might,” Obi-Wan said. “Dreams like what you’re describing, about the immediate present are…uncommon. The fact that he and Leia are twins might be partially responsible for hers.”

He nodded. “Yeah,” he said, then hesitated. “I’m…not actually sure whether I want him to or not.”

“Oh?”

Anakin frowned for a minute, considering his answer. “I’m…well, like I said, I don’t like keeping secrets, but for  _Luke,_  there’s no…it’s absolutely necessary to protect him. I know that it is. Even if it’s not, exactly, with Leia,” he said. “And…I mean, it’s not like there’s a whole lot to dream about out here. Not like Coruscant, or Naboo. But…but at the same time…I want him to  _know_  me. And Leia, and you of course, and Rex and Beru and Artoo and Owen and…”

“Of course,” he said. “I understand.”

“And I want  _Leia_  to know those things, too. Or, well, the opposite, anyway,” he said. “Which just brings me back to—is this the right thing to do? Not telling her about—about Luke, or how we…how we got here, why they’re not with us, not answering her questions…”

“Do you  _want_  to tell her?” Leia was four now, probably old enough to at least start easing her into it.

A long pause, while Anakin stared up at the stars again. “I…I don’t know. I mean, she already knows—some things. Things I  _couldn’t_ keep from her, because…I mean, she knows who…who Padme is. But I don’t think she’s made the connection. Between that, and the dreams, I mean. And I don’t know if I should help her, or try to prevent that, or just…leave things as they are.”

Obi-Wan didn’t answer right away. “I think that—it’s difficult to predict exactly how all of this this might affect  _her._  But if Luke is also having dreams, if they’re  _sharing_  dreams, telling her might be dangerous for  _him,”_  he finally said.

“That’s…true,” Anakin said. “That’s very true.”

“And…all right, now I’m going to say something I think you’re not going to like very much,” Obi-Wan said. “I think you’re going to have to assess each moment, each question of hers, as it comes. I don’t think there  _is_  a clear right or wrong in this situation. Not an overall one, in any case.”

Anakin blinked, and looked over at him. “…you’re right, I  _don’t_  like that very much.” He sighed. “But…you’re right, I think. Either way, there’s a…either way, something gets lost. If I tell her everything, if I tell her nothing, if I just…don’t answer her questions…” He shook his head. “The one thing I’m  _not_  going to do is lie to her outright. I’ll refuse to answer, I’ll…I’ll lie by omission, but…”

“I think that’s wise,” Obi-Wan said.  _At least on this particular topic,_  he added silently, but decided it was probably better not to say so out loud. Especially since Anakin was concerned about how deception would affect his relationship with his daughter, and some of the—rougher parts of their  _own_  relationship had been directly tied to outright and overt lies.

 _No more secrets,_  they had promised one another, four years ago. While Anakin was holding Leia as she slept, much as he was now. Though, fortunately,  _this_  time, Anakin wasn’t badly injured and bedridden.

 _And if anything does come up where we_ need _to lie to her, unequivocally, I can’t imagine we won’t be able to handle it with omissions,_  Obi-Wan decided.  _And if we can’t…I’ll be the one who lies to her directly._

“Good,” Anakin said, softly. “That’s…that’s good.” The tension had bled out of his shoulders at that. “Thanks, Obi-Wan.”

“Of course,” he said, and smiled.


	4. Deleted Scene #1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to go in Chapter 35, but I couldn’t fit it in. Also, I felt it drew unnecessary attention to the concern raised, and turned into a Chekhov’s Red Herring for the sake of Dramatic Irony.
> 
> Buuuuut I’m rather fond of the joke, so here it is!

“I think…” The General paused, as if gathering his thoughts. “I think Specter cut off my leg.”

Rex winced a little. “He did,” he said. “But we’ll get you to a medic, all right? You’ll be okay.”

“Mm.” Another pause. “I killed him.”

“Yeah,” he said. “You did.”

“The…the body?”

He blinked. “What about it?”

“Shouldn’t–-we shouldn’t leave him there.”

_Well, what the hell_ else  _was I supposed to do?_  he wanted to ask.  _My priority_ had _to be getting you to safety, sir._

Besides, who kriffing  _cared_  if a Sith Lord was left for whatever scavengers lived in these mountains? And, yes, he knew that General Skywalker wasn’t entirely rational on the subject–-that he, for some reason,  _blamed_ himself for Specter, just like he did for the little Princess–-but there  _had_  to be a limit, even for him.

On the other hand…

Rex had never had the misfortune to encounter Maul. But he’d damn well  _heard_  about him. The  _last_  thing the galaxy needed right now was another half-machine Sith Lord, back from the dead to wreak havoc.

The thought made him deeply, deeply uncomfortable.  _Maybe, when Commander Tano gets here, I should sneak back down the mountain and get rid of the body somehow. Make sure this one_ stays _dead._


	5. Bonus Fic #4: All My Love - A (Valentine's Day 2018)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five of Anakin’s letters to Padme, in the ten years between Part One and Part Six.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine’s Day!

_The following are selections from letters written by General Anakin Skywalker to Senator Padme Naberrie Amidala._

_Ed. Note: As most of the galaxy is probably aware, General Skywalker’s half of this correspondence was uncovered just last year, during the renovations of the Varykino House following the Naberrie Family Trust’s donation of the property for use as a museum. While Senator Amidala’s letters have long been available, it was previously believed that she, being somewhat more cautious and more at risk of exposure than her husband, had destroyed his. This discovery was therefore met with a great deal of enthusiasm from those interested in the legendary couple and the time period in question._

_The full collection, including both sets of letters—several thousand handwritten pages in all—will be kept at the museum, and portions will be put on display when it opens next year, during the local spring._

_The excerpts below are presented in what is believed to be chronological order, based on references to known events and certain passages from Sen. Amidala’s letters._

 

* * *

 

i.

Dear Padme,

I miss you already.

That’s—sorry, that’s not actually how I wanted to start this.

I was writing because—because I thought it might be nice, for you to hear from me. I know I’d love to hear from you (if it’s safe, if there’s a way for you to get a letter to one of the dead drops).

And I miss you.

I’m not sure when this’ll even get to you, but it…I don’t know, I want to do it. I want to write to you, whenever I have a moment. Even if you never read this, it helps me feel closer to you. I close my eyes, and it almost feels like you’re here; reading over my shoulder; your hand on mine.

Almost. Almost, almost, almost.

—sorry, sorry again. I’m trying to focus on the positive here. I really am, I swear, even if it doesn’t sound like it.

So, positive—this isn’t forever. Just like we said, remember? We will see each other again. Soon. Very soon.  ~~(Not soon enough.)~~

And we’re both alive, and we’re both—we’re both doing good, or trying anyway. Starting. It’ll be a process, it’ll be long and hard but we can do it. I believe we can. I believe in us. I have to.

And Leia is here and she’s perfect. She’s asleep next to me right now—or I think she’s asleep, she’s being still and quiet for once (I can’t decide whether I’m looking forward to when she starts crawling or terrified, because she’s active enough already).

She smiles now, and it’s the most magical thing.

(Except for being with you, maybe.)

And she’s safe, of course—I won’t say too much here, like we agreed, but I did want you to know that. She’s safe, and she will be while I’m working. I’ve made that a priority.

…I don’t know, this is hard. It’s so much easier to talk to you when you’re here. No matter how many things I think of saying to you, now that I’m here, sitting down, with these sheets and my pen it just—evaporates.

Maybe it’ll get easier, in time.

(On second thought, maybe it won’t. Hopefully it won’t. Hopefully this won’t last long enough that writing these gets easy.)

But I guess, in the meantime, we’ll have these. I want us to have these. Because it’s something, you know?

So…talk to me. Tell me—tell me—if you get this (when you get this), just…tell me things. What you’re doing. How you spend your days, what Luke is doing (if you can, if it’s safe). As if I snuck off home like I used to whenever we were both on Coruscant overnight and we’re just lying there, relaxing, letting the work and the war and everything else fade away.

Which—yeah, I guess I could do the same. Uh. Let’s see.

I have a ship now. The Waterfall, so named because every time I say it, I can think of you and be happy (I still think I could’ve climbed the waterfall by the shaak meadow, by the way. It’s a lot easier to stay balanced on rocks than on an animal that really doesn’t like me. Maybe, maybe when this is over, we can go back and I’ll prove it?).

Right. Anyway. The ship. Mostly, I’ve been improving it. I’m reworking some things with the engines, and also the shield generators, which I think should make you happy. That, and getting Leia settled, and building up my reflexes again. It took longer than I wanted, but not as long as I was afraid it would. (So I’m okay, you don’t have to worry about me. Healed up and everything.)

And I’ll probably be actively fighting soon. So you know. Within the next couple weeks, if I can talk Obi-Wan into it. Which is—I mean, it is what it is. But at least part of it is great, because I like doing things, and also it brings me one step closer to seeing you again.

See? I can be optimistic after all!

I love you. Which I’ve probably already said, but it always, always, always bears repeating. I love you, and I miss you, and this isn’t forever. We will see each other again. I promise.

Be safe, and be well, and write me back. Please.

All my love,

              – A

PS - You should probably burn this after you read it, I guess. It would be safer. I’m sorry. I love you.

              – A

 

* * *

 

ii.

Dear Padme,

So, I’m stuck here on this rocky moon at the far end of nowhere (well, almost. It’s still nicer than Tatooine, but then, I have yet to find a place that isn’t), and I was thinking of you.

Wait, before you start to worry, when I say stuck, I don’t mean as in something’s gone wrong. I mean as in I have to lay low for a couple hours before I can take off. I’m fine, the Waterfall’s fine, there’s no reason to think I’ve been identified or anything. It’s just there are kind of narrow windows between air patrols on this planet, and I missed mine.

So, stuck.

(Man, I really wish I could send you a picture of this place, because it would be less boring if I had someone to share it with. They’re not even nice rocks.)

And I should shut up about that now.

Obi-Wan wasn’t able to come with me on this one. He’s actually trying to get ahold of—

_[Ed. Note: The next page (or possibly several) of this letter is missing; most likely mixed up with some of the other out-of-order sheets of flimsi found in the cache.]_

—with an albino Kowakian monkey lizard.

Oh, the other thing I wanted to tell you—Leia’s walking now! I was at  ~~the f~~  her safehouse the other day and she tried to run over to me. She got about halfway but then she fell over, and I about had a heart attack because I thought she’d hurt herself, especially when she started crying, but I think she was just mad that her legs weren’t doing what she wanted them to. She stopped pretty quickly, anyway. I made some bits of scrap metal dance to distract her (she likes the way they reflect the light, I think).

(Is Luke walking yet? Tell me; I want to know everything. Everything that’s safe to tell.)

All my love,

              – A

 

* * *

 

iii.

_[Ed. Note: The following letter shows significant water damage, and several words are smudged beyond readability.]_

Dear Padme,

(Sorry about the —– it’s pouring here but I want— — while I had a mom—

Rex is alive.

Everything’s —-. He’s going to ——– me for a while at least.

I didn’t ————— but then we ————. I’m really, really glad that ———. We’re both alive, we’re ———-. It feels so good, having him back. I ———————- much it would mean or h——————— missed h———–.

Obi-Wan knows, of course, and is ———- as well. We haven’t told —- -et but as soon as we can get a m——. I just wanted to t——– so you wouldn’t —–.

Just g—– of your letters, I think s——– worth? Will writ—– -etail later, at th———. I did want to s—— off that yes, of course, wh— ——–s over. And if we c— ——, right?

I should go, th———. I love you, I miss —————.

All m—-

              – A

 

* * *

 

iv.

Dear Padme,

I’m fine, I’m really okay or I will be. Don’t believe everything you hear, Obi-Wan’s overreacting. I’m fine. I will be, at least. Soon. Very soon. I promise. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.

I love you. So much. Please don’t worry, I’m okay.

All my love,

              – A

PS - We found Ahsoka! Or she found us, I’m not totally sure which is more true. We ran into each other anyway. She sends her love or she would if she knew I was writing I haven’t told her yet. I love you. <3 <3 <3

              – A

 

* * *

 

v.

Dear Padme,

We’re leaving in the morning for—well, you know where. So chances are, you won’t actually get this until after, because honestly the only way you’d get it sooner would be if I actually handed it to you. Which would be kind of dumb, wouldn’t it?

But I wanted to write you anyway. At least partly because I can’t sleep, and talking to you is soothing, so I’m sitting on the roof, watching the stars and thinking of you.

Also, I just got another set of your letters yesterday, about two months’ worth, I think (I’m still working through them and I promise I’ll actually reply to everything next time I write). If we hadn’t had so many things going back and forth between out here and you all on Coruscant, setting up next week…I don’t know, I worry when I don’t hear from you for more than a month. I know it’s probably just delays and they’ll catch up, but…well, you know me.

But, you know—three days, three more days, and then three days when we get to see each other again. Actually see each other.

Leia’s really excited to meet you, too (she was out here with me earlier, made me point out the star we were heading for about five times before I talked her into going to bed). Which is good, I was hoping she would be. I swear, she reminds me more of you every day. Obi-Wan keeps saying she’s more like me, and she has my jawline or something (and my—kriff, how did he put it, ‘complete inability to know when to back down?’ Honestly, I think she gets that from both of us, not to mention her dear uncle who is nowhere near as good an example as he pretends to be, at least in that area, but that’s a different conversation for another time.)

Well, I guess it doesn’t actually matter all that much which of us is right, does it? You’ll be able to judge for yourself, at last.

I’ll see you soon. Very soon. (Not soon enough.)

All my love,

              – A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The conceit/framework of the story is the idea of the letters Anakin and Padme exchange being uncovered and published like a hundred years after they're both dead. So that's more or less what's going on in the editor's notes here.
> 
> ...IDK it amuses me so XD


	6. Bonus Fic #5: Untitled (Mother's Day 2018)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia and Padme, when Leia's in her late teens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this is, as of the time I'm writing it, several years ahead of where we are in the main body of the fic, I kept it fairly brief and left it deliberately vague to avoid possible spoilers ^_^

“Boys,” Leia announced, “are  _stupid.”_

Padme paused, one earring halfway to her ear, and looked up at her daughter. “Well, I’m not going to argue with that,” she said. “Did something happen?” She had a feeling she knew what this was about–the same thing it had been the last five times Leia had come here, looking for advice or just to vent.

Or, sometimes, she just wanted to be cranky and comforted and have a safe space to convince herself that it would all work out for the best in the end.

She  _sighed,_ and sat cross-legged on the bed. “Sort of. Not really. More of the same, I guess. I’m just…frustrated.”

Padme nodded, and finished putting her earring in. “I’m sorry,” she said. “What can I do to help?”

Leia tilted her head, considering for a minute. “…ice cream?” she suggested. “And then maybe braid my hair?”

“Of course,” Padme said, and smiled.  _Cranky and comforted it is, then._  “Let’s go see what the mess has, and if the quartermaster has any new ribbons we can steal.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Leia said, hopping off the bed and giving her a quick hug.

“Any time, sweetheart,” she said, hugging back. “Any time.”


	7. Bonus Fic #6: Untitled (Father's Day 2018)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lavinia and Sidious, after a lesson. TW for child abuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place roughly six months after the beginning of Arc 6.

For a long moment after Lavinia finished, there was silence.

She remained still; counting her breaths and trying very hard to keep them measured, steady.

“Come here, child,” her father said.

She got to her feet, trying for one smooth movement and  _almost_  managing it. He was watching her, not moving, not saying a thing. She couldn’t read his expression–he wasn’t  _upset,_  she didn’t think, and she’d done everything exactly,  _perfectly_ right, like he’d taught her, she was  _sure_  of it, but…

But there was  _something;_  something that made her heart beat just a hair faster.

She took a breath to calm herself, and stood next to him, waiting.

Cold, clawlike fingers grasped her chin. He pulled her face up and stared into her eyes, searching. She felt the familiar, oil-slick sense of his mind running over and through her shields.

She  _had_  gotten everything right, hadn’t she? She ran through the lesson in her mind–her task had been to map out the chain of influences and network of relationships for a specific Senator, and identify the best pressure point to move them in a specific direction…and she had  _done_ that. Her plan  _would_  have worked, and it would have been neat and tidy, the way Father normally liked  _her_  to do things.

Or maybe–maybe this wasn’t about her lesson at all. Maybe this was a delayed response to her failing at something  _else,_  or maybe he  _was_  upset that she’d picked up her sergeant’s rifle and shot back when her motorcade was attacked six months ago. He hadn’t seemed to be at the time, but it was  _Infernalis’_  job to fight, not hers. And this wouldn’t be the first time Father had waited to punish her for something.

But…

No, that wasn’t it, either. He wasn’t  _upset._  She  _knew_  when he was upset. She  _knew_  when she had failed him. She could always,  _always_  tell.

This was something different.

And then, an absolutely terrifying thought struck her. She hadn’t seen or heard from Infernalis in weeks. She didn’t  _think_  he was dead, but if he was, or if Father was upset with  _him…_

Trying very hard not to shake, she swallowed back bile at the thought. She did  _not_  want to be considered as his replacement.

After a moment that felt like it was never going to end, her father finally released her. “Go,” he said, softly.

She bowed and left, as quickly as she could without outright fleeing.

_I have to be more careful,_  she decided.  _If I do badly, he’ll only hurt me. If I do too well…_

Out here, where only her new bodyguard could see, she couldn’t quite stop herself from shivering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...yeah, so...that happened. Uh. Next bonus fic will be less awful? Or, alternately, go back to the last chapter and reread this year's Mother's Day bonus as a unicorn chaser, maybe...?
> 
> Sorry, guys. <3 Thanks so much for stopping by, and I'll be nicer next time, I promise. ~shadowsong


End file.
